Apparatus for mounting of antennas on boats



Dec. 14, 1965 M. HUMMEL APPARATUS FOR MOUNTING OF ANTENNAS ON BOATS Filed May 16, 1963 INVENTOR MAX HUMMEL ATTO NEY.

United States Patent O 3,224,003 APPARATUS FOR MOUNTING OF ANTENNAS ON BOATS Max Hummel, 164-30 95th St., Howard Beach, N.Y. Filed May 16, 1963, Ser. No. 280,810 4 Claims. (Cl. 343-709) The present invention relates to an apparatus for mounting of antennas on boats.

It is well known that many boats are equipped with antennas, in order to facilitate radio sending and receiving. Such antennas have appreciable length and extend upwardly to an appreciable height, in order to be effective for sending and/or receiving. Yet, many Waterways lead below bridges, the free head room of which is smaller than the height of such antennas, and proper means have to be provided to turn the antennas from a substantially vertical positioned to an inclined position during passing below such bridges.

Such tilting of the antennas has been accomplished until now by different means, which, however, were all manually operated and were also located at the location of the boat where the antenna has been mounted. In order to lower the antenna and to lift then the antenna again, it was necessary that the driver of the boat leave the steering wheel, so that he is in the position to attend the lowering of the antenna. The discontinuance of the operation of the steering wheel entails some danger, in case of somewhat crowded conditions on the waterway. In addition, it was also necessary to stop the boat during such antenna shifting operation. After passing the boat under the bridge, the driver of the boat had to leave the steering wheel again, in order to turn the antenna into its substantiallyvertical operational position.

It is, therefore, one object of the present invention, to provide an apparatus for mounting of antennas on boats, which includes means permitting operation of lowering and erecting of the boat from the dashboard disposed in front of the steering wheel, so that the driver of the boat is in position to lower and to erectagain the antenna without leaving the steering wheel and without stopping of the operation and movement of the boat.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for mounting of antennas on boats, which includes a clamping device receiving tightly the antenna, which is mounted on a horizontally disposed shaft and electrically operating means are provided to rotate said shaft in order to rotate the clamping means carrying the antenna from an operative position into an inoperative position.

With these and other objects in View, which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE l is a side elevation of a boat indicating schematically the arrangement of the antenna mounting;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view, partly in section, of the apparatus for mounting the antenna;

FIG. 3 is a section along the lines 3 3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic circuit for the wiring of the apparatus for the respective operations; and

FIG. 5 is an end view of the clamping member.

Referring now to the drawing, a clamping member 1 is disposed adjacent the outside face of one of the walls 2 of the boat 3. The clamping member 1 comprises a back plate 4 which is, preferably, made of metal having secured thereto two supporting plates 5 made, preferably, of non-conducting material, which plates 5 are spaced apart from each other and secured by means of screw bolts 6 to the back plate 4. Each of the supporting plates 5 has a U-shaped recess 7, and the recesses 7 are aligned 3,224,003 Patented Dec. 14, 1965 relative to each other and are also adapted to receive therein the base of the antenna rod 8. The supporting plates 5 have threaded bores 9 extending 4from their forward end faces and a clamping plate 10 engages the forward end faces of the supporting plates 5, which clamping plate 10 is secured by means of screw bolts 11 extending through the clamping plate 10 and securing the latter to the end faces of the supporting plates 5, at the same time clamping the antenna rod 8 in its position by extending through the U-shaped recesses 7 and being clamped by the clamping plates 10. By such arrangement, the antenna rod 8 is extending through both U-shaped recesses of the supporting plate and is clamped in position by means of the clamping plates 10.

The rear face of the back plate 4 has secured thereto a shaft 12 extending rearwardly therefrom and is rotatably mounted in a bushing or sleeve 13 which projects laterally from a housing 14. The bushing 13 extends through a bore 15 of the wall 2 of the boat 1 and is, thus, supported by the wall non-rotatably. The housing 14 is equipped with a second bolt 16 which likewise extends through a bore 17 of the wall 2 and projects through the wall 2 outwardly to be secured and supported by the wall thereto by means of a nut 18.

The housing 14 is thus securely immovably supported by and secured to the Wall 2 of the boat 1.

The housing comprises two parallel disposed plates 19 and 20 and the shaft 12 extends through and finds its bearing in the two housing plates 19 and 20. The bolt 16 likewise extends through both housing plates 19 and 20 and is supported therein, thereby locating the housing 14 relative to the wall 2.

The shaft 12 has keyed thereto a radial arm 21 which has secured to its outer end a pin 22. The pin 22 is mounted in an end member 23 carrying a cylindrical hollow extension 24, which has as its free end a nut 25 bearing inner thread. The end member 23 with the extension 24 and the nut 25 move substantially axially with the rotation of the arm 21, but are non-rotatable.

A shaft 26 has at one of its ends an outer thread 27 and furthermore, is formed as a worm 27 adjacent its other end and the latter is immovably mounted in a second end member 28 which is pivoted about the bolt 16. A housing 29 surrounds the rear portion of the shaft 26gand has at its forward end of cylindrical extension 30 which receives the free end of the cylindrical hollow extension 24 and telescopes with the latter.

A shaft 31 is disposed transversely to the shaft 26 and carries a worm gear 32 which matches with the Worm 27', so that upon rotation of the shaft 31, the shaft 26 is likewise subjected to rotation and since the nut 25, together with the end member 23 and the cylindrical hollow extension 24 are non-rotatably mounted, the nut 25 is subjected to an axial movement during which the extensions 24 and 30 telescope relative to each other. The shaft 31 extends from a reversible electric motor 33, the terminals of which are connected by electrical conduits 34 to a switch 35. The latter is adapted to be mounted on the dashboard and its terminals are connected by said conduits 34 to the terminals of the reversible electric motor 33. The switch itself is well known and does not constitute part of the present invention and the switch has a non-operative neutral position, as well as two operative positions, shown in point-dotted lines for operating the electric motor 33 in one or the other direction, in order to erect the antenna rod 8 in a substantially vertical position, as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3 or in the inclined position, as shown in point-dotted lines likewise in FIG. 3.

The radial arm 21 is equipped with projections 36 and 37, which are adapted to engage limit switches 38 and 39, which limit switches are well known and do not constitute part of the present invention. The limit switches inlimit switchesaSSxand; 39, which; motor 33:is fedfromthe` boatl batteryl or a. separate battery- 40. A compression springA 4f1.is.disposed;between the-threadedend of the shaft 26. and` they end member 23', which spr-ing` 4=1 has the tendencyfto` extend' the entirer unit to its-l greatest length and',4 thereby, contributes, to the force required for erecting the antenna rodv 8 from its inclined position to its substantially: upward position; It hasv been found that the inclination from thek vertical position to the inclinedposition forv an'. angle; of 72 will normally sufiice to shift the antenna rod intoz an inoperative, inclined, position.

Tlieoperation ofthe apparatus isy q uite apparent. Upon operation ofthe electric motor 33: by setting the switch 35 into the proper operative position, the shaft 26 will rotatean'dwilL move the nut 25- thereon outwardly, whereupon the-,arm` 21- will turn about thev shaft 12; and simultaneously turn the shaft 12 and thus also turn the antenna fromv its inclined. position to its vertical position. Upon SettingVV the switch` 3,5` into the opposite position, the antenna` can be lowered, since the shaft 26 will rotate in oppositek direction compared with the previous operation. While I have disclosed one embodimen-t of the present invention, it is to be understood: that` this embodiment is given by example only and not in a limiting sense, thev scope of the present invention being determined by the objects and the claims.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for mounting antennas on boatsv comprising a clamping member adapted to receive an antenna rod,

a housing, having two parallel substantially vertically disposed side walls,

means securing said housing to the boat,

a, pivot bolt mounted in and extending across said housing,

a first shaft rotatably supported in and extending across said housing and secured to said clamping member for rotation with the latter,

an arm keyed; to` said first shaft and having a cross-pin secured to the free end of said arm,

a first endv member pivotally secured to said cross-pin,

said first end member having a first cylindrical extension,

a nut having inner thread secured inside said cylindrical extension at the free end of the latter,

a second shaft disposed longitudinally and rotatably mounted in said housing,

said second shaft having at one of its ends an outer thread complementary: to. the inner thread of said nutv andadjacent its other end a worm,

a reversible electric motor secured to said housing and havinga motor shaft carrying a Worm gear meshing with saidworm,

a gear box receiving said worm gear and said worm and having a second cylindri-cal extension telescoping with said" first cylindrical extension,

a second end member pivotally mounted on said bolt and secured-tosaid gear box, and

switching means adapted to be mounted on the dashboard of the boat, in order to lift and tilt, respectively, the antenna rod by means of` said. reversible motor.

2; The apparatus, asset forth in claimv 1, whichvincludes a compression lspring between-said first end member and the free end of said second' shaft urging said-arm into an antenna lifting, position.

3. The apparatus, as set forth iny claim-1?, wherein said arm has projections, and

limit switches are disposed' in said housing'within the path of said corresponding projections, in order to:

limit the lifting and tiltingl movements of said antenna rod. 4; The apparatus, as set forth inl claim 1, wherein said clamping member comprises, a backv plate securedl to said first shaft,

two clamping plates disposedzpara-llel'to each other and secured tosaid back plate,

saidV clamping. plates having a U'shaped recess adapted to receive an antennafrod therein, and

means f ory securing.y said radio antenna in said' recess.

References; Cited vby the. Examiner UNITED' STATES; PATENTS 1,306,145 6/1919 Hammond 343,-881 1,740,299 12/-1929 Henkle 254-74 2,499,166.V 2/ 195.0. Russell 3 l8w267 FOREIGN PATENTS 489,693 1'10/ 19:18 France. 371,476 4/1932l Great Britain'.v

HERMANy KARL SAALBACH, Primary Examiner, 

1. AN APPARATUS FOR MOUNTING ANTENNAS ON BOATS COMPRISING A CLAMPING MEMBER ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AN ANTENNA ROD, A HOUSING, HAVING TWO PARALLEL SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY DISPOSED SIDE WALLS, MEANS SECURING SAID HOUSING TO THE BOAT, A PIVOT BOLT MOUNTED IN SAID EXTENDING ACROSS SAID HOUSING, A FIRST SHAFT ROTATABLY SUPPORTED IN AND EXTENDING ACROSS SAID HOUSING AND SECURED TO SAID CLAMPING MEMBER FOR ROTATION WITH THE LATTER, AN ARM KEYED TO SAID FIRST SHAFT AND HAVING A CROSS-PIN SECURED TO THE FREE END OF SAID ARM, A FIRST END MEMBER PIVOTALLY SECURED TO SAID CROSS-PIN, SAID FIRST END MEMBER HAVING A FIRST CYLINDRICAL EXTENSION, A NUT HAVING INNER THREAD SECURED INSIDE SAID CYLINDRICAL EXTENSION AT THE FREE END OF THE LATTER, A SECOND SHAFT DISPOSED LONGITUDINALLY AND ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING, SAID SECOND SHAFT HAVING AT ONE OF ITS ENDS AN OUTER THREAD COMPLEMNTARY TO THE INNER THREAD OF SAID NUT AND ADJACENT ITS OTHER END A WORM, A REVERSIBLE ELECTRIC MOTOR SECURED TO SAID HOUSING AND HAVING A MOTOR SHAFT CARRYING A WORM GEAR MESHING WITH SAID WORM, A GEAR BOX RECEIVING SAID WORM GEAR AND SAID WORM AND HAVING A SECOND CYLINDRICAL EXTENSION TELESCOPING WITH SAID FIRST CYLINDRICAL EXTENSION, A SECOND END MEMBER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID BOLT AND SECURED TO SAID GEAR BOX, AND SWTICHING MEANS ADAPED TO BE MOUNTED ON THE DASHBOARD OF THE BOAT, IN ORDER TO LIFT AND TILT, RESPECTIVELY, THE ANTENNA ROD BY MEANS OF SAID REVERSIBLE MOTOR. 